Some Families Just Can't Hack It

by Antonia Monacelli

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5	3	2,993,862	(3.17)	2
Some Families Just Can't Hack It is a book of short stories inspired by real historical murders. While most people are taught to beware of strangers the reality is that most murders are committed by someone closer to the victim. In these five tales of family dysfunction at its finest, Antonia Monacelli uses traditional research mixed with real genealogy to uniquely portray these accounts of familicide from years past. By combining true crime with historical fiction, readers are given a chance to experience real murders from a different, and bone-chilling perspective.Each story includes not only the fictional tales of murder and mayhem that transpired, but the details of the real cases that inspired them as well. Although the stories are fiction the crimes that inspired them are both real and horrifying. So grab a cup of tea, lock the door, and prepare for your toes to curl and your blood to run cold.… (more)

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True crime, imagined inner workings. Antonia Monacelli combines these to tell the stories of what might have happened to inspire these true family murders in Canada. Each story is short, but gives enough detail for a plausible explanation of how the murder might have happened. Then, after the story is a brief description of the true crime and the results. Fascinating & completely believable. (

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AuntieClio | May 20, 2013 |

This collection of short stories offers fictional accounts based on real criminal cases from Canada. Most of the cases come from the turn of the twentieth century, and highlight significant contemporary issues, such as immigration and industrialization. At the end of each story the author gives some background on the real case.

In general I thought this book was well-done. The murders at the heart of each story are fairly dramatic and gory, so this is not for the faint of heart. I found this to be a good book to dip in and dip out of. The author's interpretations are believable. (

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lahochstetler | Apr 22, 2013 |

An unusual blend of crime fiction. These short stories relating crimes within families were based on real historical cases, the author having taken much care to fully research each case and then tell a story from the perspective of the perpetrators and their families. Follow up information from cross-referenced sources was given after each story.
I found this short book to be edifying and informative; It would be wrong to describe this book as enjoyable. Rather, I would say this book is a good worthwhile read, capturing vignettes of past lives made poignant by their pathos.
Mostly very well written and edited with only three typos evident at page 4/ location 33 best avoid, p66/589 worse, p95/852 she. (

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dlga | Mar 21, 2013 |

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Some Families Just Can't Hack It is a book of short stories inspired by real historical murders. While most people are taught to beware of strangers the reality is that most murders are committed by someone closer to the victim. In these five tales of family dysfunction at its finest, Antonia Monacelli uses traditional research mixed with real genealogy to uniquely portray these accounts of familicide from years past. By combining true crime with historical fiction, readers are given a chance to experience real murders from a different, and bone-chilling perspective.Each story includes not only the fictional tales of murder and mayhem that transpired, but the details of the real cases that inspired them as well. Although the stories are fiction the crimes that inspired them are both real and horrifying. So grab a cup of tea, lock the door, and prepare for your toes to curl and your blood to run cold.

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Some Families Just Can’t Hack It is a book of short stories inspired by real historical murders. While most people are taught to beware of strangers the reality is that most murders are committed by someone closer to the victim. In these five tales of family dysfunction at its finest, Antonia Monacelli uses traditional research mixed with real genealogy to uniquely portray these accounts of familicide from years past. By combining true crime with historical fiction, readers are given a chance to experience real murders from a different, and bone-chilling perspective.

Although the stories are fiction the crimes that inspired them are both real and horrifying. So grab a cup of tea, lock the door, and prepare for your toes to curl and your blood to run cold.

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